Gin Geek, Writer & Distiller

April – Are We Becoming Too Shallow?

At any event I hold, I always talk about my 3 Rules of Gin that I wrote about two years ago – rule number 3 being, it has to come in a nice bottle.

More relevant now than ever I feel – so are we becoming too aesthetically demanding when it comes to our Gin?

The category is continuing its growth, one thing remains ever changing – the bottle. So much so, it seems even our long standing gin favourites are evolving, introducing gorgeous bespoke bottles and branding. Edinburgh Gin did just that last year – introducing their new custom bottles to the shelves, really taking the appearance of their product to the next level. Other recent updates include Jawbox & Sir Robin of Locksley’s brand new bottles, Hayman’s new branding and Tanqueray have jazzed up some of their labels too.

Now I am far enough down the road of making my own gin to know that custom bottles are not cheap. Customised Moulds cost up to tens of thousands of pounds a pop. So it’s a more than reasonable investment for most.

So there are of course a small amount of examples where the price point of gin is impacted too much by the bottle cost – pushing the premium up just too much for that “now and again treat yourself” gift. Some beautiful Gins (and their bottles) with a price tag of £50+ are great…but is this actually too much for gin? Where does price and bottle overrule the liquid inside?

So this month, I will be reviewing some of the nicest bottles…but putting that to one side and focus on the gin itself. If as much love and attention has gone into the branding and bottle, surely the same can be said about the gin? We shall see!!

Published by The Gin Lord

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3 comments

I’m excited to see your reviews. For me, unless it’s a gin I’ve previously tried a good looking bottle is what sells it to me. But I’ve been stung a few times with foul tasting gin but a beautiful looking additional to the dust gathering bottom shelf. Some of my favourite bottles include Alkkemist, Brooklyn, Silent Pool, Mampes’s, Oxley, Jam Jar and so on. But that doesn’t truly mean the gin itself is up to scratch of some of my go too Gins…. interesting thought you’ve put forward

Well, it is true that most people shop with their eyes, and I do think the overall branding has to be good, but I also think that the ever-discerning consumer can see an added expense when it’s in front of them, especially if the liquid doesn’t match it in quality. My mantra has always been ‘it’s what’s on the inside that counts’.

I think a lot of gins were nice but their bottle didn’t live up to the luxury brand like Shetland reel before their relaunch. However there are some gins with beautiful bottles that taste like paint stripper so it works both ways.